


A Thunderous Feeling

by Casimir



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Minor canon divergence, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25641265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casimir/pseuds/Casimir
Summary: At ten years old, Akira received his soul mark. It was two snakes, twining around each other, in the shape of an S.The one he'd been born with was a pair of black wings on his ankles. He spent the night-- and many more after that-- staring at his wrist in wonder.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 11
Kudos: 150





	A Thunderous Feeling

At ten years old, Akira received his soul mark. It was two snakes, twining around each other, in the shape of an S. The marks that people bore were often referred to as soulmate marks— they said that the person who owned the matching mark would be your soulmate— but it was often more complicated than that. Bitter rivals, best friends, siblings. The mark only showed you the other side of your self. The other side of the coin. Many people didn't even meet the person that shared their mark. When his wrist began to burn and he almost dropped the water bottle he'd been holding, his teacher cooed over the aching brand on his skin. The one he'd been born with was a pair of black wings on his ankles. He spent the night-- and many more after that-- staring at his wrist in wonder.

What kind of person would his soulmate be? Would they be handsome, or kind, or shy? He hoped they would get along.

At seventeen years old, Akira met Goro Akechi at the TV studio. He'd been on edge all day. There was something in the air that had him feeling uncomfortably twitchy. At his back, the phantom feeling of Arsène muttered his platitudes. They'd been stuck watching recordings for what felt like hours and Akira thought he might snap at any moment. Then the live segment happened and he challenged the detective prince on live TV.

If Sojiro was watching he would probably be cringing, even if the camera wasn't focused on Akira's face.

They shook hands after everything between them was said and Akechi glanced down to Akira's exposed wrist. If anything the forced smile of his became even tighter around the edges. Akira could tell it was forced. He wore a similar one in school, out in public, the only place he felt safe enough to smile properly was with his friends-- and in Mementos. The other boy was dressed as if he had something to hide. Not a single inch of skin was exposed save for his face. He even wore tight, lambskin gloves. Akira wondered what his mark was to want to hide it so badly.

As the year wore on and their friendship grew, Akira was no closer to figuring out what his mark was. Even when they were in the bathhouse Akechi kept his back to the wall and determinedly faced Akira down.

"So it's probably on his back." Morgana said, spitballing ideas with him one evening when it was just the two of them cleaning up LeBlanc. There was a particularly stubborn curry stain on the floor by the counter that Akira was scrubbing at. "I wonder why he doesn't want you to see it?"

"Maybe it's something embarrassing. His soulmate is into some weird stuff, or it's a picture of an actual face-"

"Ew!" Morgana groaned. He was as useless as ever when Akira was cleaning. His favourite perch was on a tall stool overlooking the whole activity. "I wonder what mine will look like, when I'm human again."

That night, the same as every night, Akira stared longingly at the snakes on his wrist. When your partner died the mark would fade. It would never disappear, but it would pale over time. Akira's mark was still bright and fresh as if it was recently inked on his skin. Some people never developed a matching mark at all. He felt lucky that he had, even if he still didn't know where his soulmate was.

\---

"I  _ hate  _ you." Akechi snarled. The emotion in Akechi's voice was raw. Like a barely contained animal throwing itself at the bars of it's cage. Around them, Shibuya continued to turn as if the two hadn't come impossibly close to killing each other under their feet. Akira could still feel the adrenaline thrumming through his veins.

He wondered if it was the first time he'd ever seen the real Akechi at all.

When Akechi threw his glove at Akira, it took him a little by surprise. They seemed precious to Akechi. He hadn't seen him without his gloves on except in the bathhouse and even then he was guarded. Not like now, however. Akira could see a flash of dark ink on the skin of his inside wrist. Akechi wasn't even trying to hide it, but he stalked away before Akira had the chance to ask about it.

\---

Akira stared at the fading black ink on his wrist.

Two gunshots echoed dully in his memory.

He was absolutely sure he was going to go insane if he thought about Akechi much more. Over and over and over, he replayed the moment Akechi sacrificed himself to save the Thieves. Over and over and over…

Morgana was a heavy weight on his chest when Akira woke up. He was purring loudly, something that he didn't usually do, and seemed fast asleep. There was usually a loud argument every time Akira caught him doing something catlike but this time, with tears drying in the corners of his eyes, Akira decided not to say anything. Yeah, he was kind of unhinged and not a very good person… but Akira found it impossible to not be devastated. It felt like there was a hole inside of him— something taken from him that he hadn't realized he had before.

When he finally fell asleep again, Akira didn't dream of anything.

\---

"You're alive, how?!"

Akira had to restrain himself from crushing Akechi in a tight hug at seeing him again. Even Sae seemed shocked. As they walked away, Akira snuck a glance at the mark on his wrist— maybe it had been a coincidence. Maybe his soulmate had never been Akechi at all— but there it was. Back in bright, fresh black. Just like on that same day eight years ago. Akira was sure his heart was going to stop. There they were. The twin snakes curling around and around themselves on his wrist.

It felt like coming home.

Okay, so he'd just taken the fall for Akira and he probably wouldn't get out of juvie for a while but even still. Akechi was alive. His  _ soulmate  _ was alive. With the snow softly beginning to fall around him, Akira stopped repressing the bright smile that was forcing its way onto his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets where Akechi’s black glove was still hidden away and whistled as he made his way back to LeBlanc. There were a few strange looks sent his way but he paid no attention to them. Let people think of him as strange and irritatingly happy. He had something to  _ be  _ irritatingly happy about. Something more than just taking down Shido and saving the world— although that was a little selfish.

He was allowed. The world owed him a little bit of selfishness.

—-

Akira was sure he would have remembered taking someone home with him, so waking up with a completely unknown man in his bed was something of a shock. Then there was Wakaba. Hanging out, completely innocently, downstairs in the cafe.  _ Interacting with people.  _ Akira pinched his wrist underneath his jacket. Nope. Still awake. Not dreaming. No giant sphinxes in the sky either.

“Mona, what do you want for breakfast?” She asked, standing from the booth seat and ruffling Futaba’s hair in one smooth motion.

Ah, so the very attractive man who appeared in his bed was Morgana. That made perfect sense.

Akira very much wanted to slam his head into the nearest flat surface. There was no way he was the only one who thought what was happening was insane. Futaba seemed...normal. Which was completely wrong for her and it sent uncomfortable shivers up his spine. She even left the cafe by herself. Willingly. It was difficult not to count the ways everything had gone wrong after that.

When the doorbell rang and Akechi stepped through, out of juvenile detention, not even slightly arrested like he had definitely been— Akira had to sit down and make himself the largest cup of coffee he had to get his hands on.

“So, you can tell something is wrong too.” Akechi said, sliding easily into the seat next to him.

Akira glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and took another gulp of his coffee. “You’re out of jail. Wakaba Isshiki and Okumura are alive...again. So is Makoto’s dad— who I’m pretty sure you didn’t kill, by the way, so it’s not got anything to do with you— and Shiho didn’t transfer schools and—“

“Alright, alright.” Akechi flattened his hand over Akira’s mouth. “Keep it down. I got the picture.”

Akira mumbled something against his hand, prompting the other boy to remove it with an odd look. “You’re not wearing your gloves.”

“Well…you have the other one.”

“Oh. Right.” He was quickly finding it hard to speak around Akechi, now that he was back. That he was alive. Everything he’d bottled up since Shido’s palace was coming out all at the same time and making him feel like a dumb teenager with a crush. Which, now that he thought about it, he was. “Do you want it back?”

“We haven’t had our rematch yet. Next time I’m going to beat you until you cry, Joker.”

“Hot.”

“What.”

—-

Seeing Crow let loose inside Maruki’s palace was a  _ thrill _ . The wild, cackling laughter that echoed down the pristine halls. The absolutely insane way he threw himself into every battle irregardless of his personal safety. Joker had to hurry to catch up to him, with Kasumi trailing behind them as quickly as she could. She was even keeping up pretty well for a newbie. They were separated briefly from her after a particularly wild fight and, with the adrenaline still coursing through his body, Joker pushed Crow against one of the closest walls and kissed him.

_ Hard. _

Crow’s clawed hand tightened in his hair but didn’t pull him away. If anything he pulled him closer. Their teeth caught in their aggression, lips tugged between them, hands pushed up against each other’s bodies—

Joker pulled away, panting. He had to catch his breath or else he thought he might pass out. There was a wicked grin on Crow’s face mirrored on Joker’s own.

“You’re such an asshole.” Joker laughed, grabbing Crow by the wrists and pinning them up by his head. “You’re my soulmate, aren’t you?”

“Your mark is black wings. Mine is Loki’s snakes.”

“On your wrist. Why were you always hiding your back from me? Mine is on my ankles.” Joker nuzzled against Crow’s neck, biting at the fabric hiding his pale skin.

“I think your mark appeared there for me. Don’t ask me why.”

“Huh. Wait, they’re Arsène’s wings aren’t they?”

“Obviously.”

—-

“I want to hear it, with your own mouth.”

He couldn’t say it. The words were stuck in his throat. Akira was a coward, he decided. His friends had already chosen to fight back, even in the face of their dead parents or a better life. But Akira, when faced with his own choice, wasn’t sure if he could take it.

He knew he should. He knew he had to. Everyone was relying on him, even Akechi with his wild snarling face and practically tangible anger. Akira’s hands shook. Was he literally choking? He couldn’t be sure, couldn’t think—

“Say it!” Akechi snapped.

“We’re...taking down Maruki.”

“Good. Don’t let me down.”

“I won’t.” Akira’s voice felt weak even to himself.

The bell rang sadly when Akechi left. The mark on his wrist felt fake. Like a stick on tattoo that would rub off in the shower or if he looked at it too hard. There was a numb feeling in his brain that was spreading through his body, it stuck in his lungs and heart and welled out through the tears slowly tracking down his face.

Oh.

When had he started crying?

—-

The train rumbled underneath him. It was starting to pull away from the station and would take him away from Tokyo with it. He wanted to stay, to live in LeBlanc forever and stay with his friends. He knew he’d see them again but that didn’t stop it from hurting as the train began to move.

The bright, black ink on his wrist made him smile.

The future wasn’t bad after all.

He just had to make it his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Ive gone feral I swear to fuck   
> HMU @seraphcasimir if you wanna be feral with me 
> 
> I’m looking for an rp partner, maybe?


End file.
